Construction

Project Manager of the Year

Zusy

Jim Zusy

Guy F. Atkinson Construction

Jim Zusy was responsible for managing the state Route 167 Puyallup River Bridge replacement with a new multi-lane bridge built in its footprint. The existing bridge was a 371-foot-long Warren truss bridge.

Zusy managed the process to innovate through multiple issues such as schedule impacts from the fish window, traffic flow through the project site during construction, and impact to the community. His team’s solution was to use the existing Warren truss bridge as a temporary route while working on the new bridge offline.

The new bridge would be a three-span, 557-foot-long steel girder bridge that does not require in-water piers and therefore eliminates impacts from the fish window. The Warren truss bridge was rolled intact to sit securely on its temporary foundations a third of a mile north of where it had spent its previous 90-year life.

Zusy coordinated and vetted six separate plans to reduce risk and develop the right scheme for moving the existing bridge to its final resting place.

Zusy was responsible for managing a safe working environment for this project, as he is for all his projects. The Puyallup River Bridge replacement experienced no third-party vehicle incidents  a testament to pre-planning and superior traffic control.

Zusy’s project experienced a Division of Occupational Safety and Health consultation and compliance visit during this period. The consultation resulted in a clean bill of health, as did the compliance visit. Zusy has not received any DOSH safety citations.